TxDOT better prepared for round two of winter weather

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Tx (KYLE) — For the second time in less than a week Central Texas drivers woke up to sleet and ice covering the roads; making for an icy and slick commute to work but TxDOT was prepared.

"Last Thursday and Friday was a good dress rehearsal for us for this time," said Bob Colwell. "We thought that this one would might last a little bit longer but so far it hasn't."

Colwell says crews have been working around the clock since last night on 12 hour shifts to treat icy roads and with more than a thousand bridges and overpasses in the Bryan District's 10 county region, it's a time consuming but necessary process.

"The first thing that we have to do is put a magnesium chloride, it's like a de-icing stone," said Colwell. "It helps melt the situation to turn it more into slush and then we put the rock on it to give you traction when we go across it. Both improve traction but you can't have one without the other."

Colwell says things went much smoother this go around than the first and he contributes that to several different reasons.

"I think more people have taken heed because they knew of what happened last week and it's fresh in everyone's memory so when they heard us and DPS asking folks to stay off the roads, most of them did."

But that doesn't mean everyone's drive to work went well.

There were still several minor accidents throughout the Brazos Valley but we're told numbers are significantly down compared to last week's storm.

And while all the roads have been treated, Colwell says crews will be on standby again since temps are expected to be in the 20s Tuesday night.

"We're hoping that the moisture that's been accumulated on our roads can get off of there and that way it'll put us in the clear tonight but we'll be ready again and keep monitoring the situation."